Americans Divided: Anger and Pride in Politics and News

The latest Mood of the Nation Poll conducted by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy revealed some interesting insights into the feelings of Americans towards recent news events and American politics. According to the poll, nine in ten Americans can name something that made them angry, while only half could identify something that made them proud.

The poll, which surveyed 997 American adults from Jan. 11 to 17, found that when asked how angry or proud whatever they had identified made them feel, 46 percent of respondents said they felt “extremely angry,” which was over double the percentage who indicated feeling “extremely proud.”

Responses to questions about what in American politics or the news made respondents angry were wide-ranging. Common points of anger included mentions of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, domestic issues or policies, and violations of democratic principles.

On the other hand, when asked what made them proud, nearly half of respondents came up empty, with 44 percent indicating “nothing” made them proud. However, those who could identify something that made them proud mentioned topics such as the principles of democracy, historic climate investments, and student debt cancellation.

The survey also found that Americans are overwhelmingly angry, with only 10 percent saying nothing made them angry. Interestingly, similar proportions of Republicans and Democrats feel extremely angry, but the kinds of things that make them angry or proud are quite different.

One notable difference in levels of anger was found among different generations, with older generations being notably angrier than younger generations. The survey was conducted by Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy and analyzed by the APM Research Lab.

Overall, the poll sheds light on the deep divisions and strong emotions that exist in American society today when it comes to politics and the news.